Density of Gold & Other Metals

Density of Gold, Silver, Copper, Platinum & Other Jewellery Metals

Every week several people ask us questions about the weight or density of gold. A typical question is “What does a cubic meter / foot / inch / centimetre of gold weigh?”. Because we do not have the time to give each enquiry an individual reply, we have provided this page for your information.

Density and Specific Gravity

For most practical purposes, density and specific gravity are the same, however there are slight differences between them, as most scientists would appreciate.

Density

Density is defined as the ratio of the mass of an object to its volume.
Density should correctly be expressed in units of “unit mass per unit volume”, e.g. grams per cubic centimetre. The figure quoted is often the same as that for specific gravity. For those who are unsure what “mass” means, consider it to be the same as “weight”, you will not be far out.
For the benefit of Nottingham University students, please note that the figure for S.G. is the same as the figures in grams per cubic centimetre = tonnes per cubic metre = S.I. units.

Specific Gravity

Specific gravity is defined in Webster’s dictionary as the ratio of the weight or mass of a given volume of a substance to that of another substance (usually water for solids and liquids) used as a standard.
Specific gravity is not expressed in units as it is purely a ratio.

Specific Gravity Table

All figures quoted are approximate. Please note that actual densities may vary according to the exact physical state of the metal, as cast, rolled, drawn, because of varying degrees of porosity, and its temperature.
Alloys will vary considerably according to the other components they contain.